RFK Jr. admits he disagrees with Trump on climate change

Health Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said under questioning during his confirmation hearing Wednesday that he and President Trump have different opinions on climate change.

Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, said Mr. Trump calls climate change a hoax and asked Mr. Kennedy if he agreed with that view, or if he believes climate change is real.

“President Trump and I from the beginning [in] our first meeting agreed to disagree on that issue,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Mr. Sanders pressed Mr. Kennedy to say more definitively that he disagreed with the president on climate change, but Mr. Kennedy said he already answered the question.

The senator also asked about his pet issue of “Medicare for All,” without directly referencing it. He wanted to know if Mr. Kennedy agreed with him that the United States should guarantee health care as a basic human right.

“I can’t give you a yes or no,” Mr. Kennedy said. “In the way that free speech is a human right? I would say it’s different because free speech doesn’t cost anybody anything.”

Mr. Sanders then asked if Mr. Kennedy would support legislation he plans to introduce saying the United States should not pay a nickel more for prescription drugs than other countries.

Mr. Kennedy referenced a meeting he had with Mr. Trump a week ago where they talked about lowering drug costs, but he didn’t commit specifically to backing Mr. Sanders’ legislation.

“In principle, we can,” he said. “We should end that disparity.”